[why religious change doesn't work- part 1] -The Gospel

    Here is the brunt of chapter one. It comes in three parts, and I figured I'll do them each separately.
    Blue Parts taken from -The Gospel by JD Greear.
   
    Why Religious Change Doesn't Work:

   #1. Religious activites fail to address the "root" idolatries that drive our sin.
         At its root, our sins are driven by the fact that we desire something more than we desire God. Religious change targets the acts of sin without addressing the idolatry that prompted that sin in the first place.

    Let's think about that. First, Idolatry is the root of all of it. NOW: Religious activies. Let's name a few: Church, Youth Group, Seminars, Small Group, Fellowship, Communion, Baptism. These are all religious activies. PLEASE understand, these are no BAD things. These are very good things we are commanded to do. With that said, we can't look at them as ACTS. Your sin nature will want to do that. If you get baptized, that doesn't mean all your idols go away. If you take communion, that doesn't mean your really worshipping, in fact, your mind could be wandering. Going to youth group won't protect you from idols. A week ago I would have said 'Seminars, Church, Youth Group, and fellowship with believers can address the root of your idols.' No. Here what they do: they open up the door for you. If the door is open, does that mean I have to go in it? No. Which leads to this conclusion: Only God can address the root of your idols.
     So, then, what is True Religion? True Religion is when you serve God to get nothing else but more of God.
    This takes a lot of work, and may seem impossible. It still does sometime. We want to want more of God, but sometimes we just don't see how. I mean, if I told you to bite your finger off, you probably couldn't, even if you were facing death. So it is simple: We must strive to want God. It's going to take hard work and pain, but thats what Jesus did for us. Yes, it's easier said than done. REMEMBER: with Christ, all things are possible. He promised us that.

    In Christ there is nothing I can do that make You love me more, and nothing I have done that makes you love me less. -JD Greear

~Hannah